Eco-Explorer

Activities

Popcorn Chain
This activity was designed to accompany the Magic School Bus video, "Gets Eaten."  You can probably find Magic School Bus videos at your local library.
Materials Needed
Copies of POPCORN CHAIN page
Scissors
Markers
Yarn
Tape
12 baggies of popcorn

Instructions
The Magic School Bus kids really get into the food chain: They’re swallowed by a tuna fish. With this activity, your kids get to eat while they act as links in the food chain. The popcorn bags stand for food energy that is passed along the links in a food chain from the sun, to plants, to plant-eaters, to meat-eaters.  Ask children: What is a food chain? What are some examples of plants and animals that are links in a food chain? What might happen in a food chain if one link is harmed by pollution? Choose roles for children: 1 sun, 12 plants, 6 plant-eaters, and 3 meat-eaters.  Kids color and cut out their symbols and tape them to yarn to make necklaces.  Have children spread out around the room, or go outside if possible.  The sun holds all 12 bags of popcorn. She gives one bag to each plant.  The plants eat half of the popcorn to have energy for growing and living.  Each plant-eater takes a bag from two plants and eats half of the remaining popcorn. Each meat-eater takes a bag from two plant-eaters and eats the rest of the popcorn. Kids can trace a food chain from a favorite food. They might try pizza, a jelly bean, or tuna fish.
idea courtesy of Scholastic's Magic School Bus

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